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Royal Ludroth Ecology
In-Game Information Royal Ludroth use their sponge like neck scales to absorb water and prevent drying out on land. Once the sponge loses moisture, they attempt to re-enter the water. They also spew mucus to trip up their prey. Taxonomy Class:Reptilia -Order:Leviathan -Suborder:Sea Wyvern Sub - Infraorder:Fluff Wyvern - Family:Royal. Royal Ludroth are the alpha males of a Ludroth pack. The Ludroth species are Leviathans closely related to the Lagiacrus and Gobul of the Sea, the Uroktor and Agnaktor of the Volcano, and the Nibelsnarf of the Desert. Habitat Range Due to its need of constant water, it can only survive in areas with plentiful moisture. It lives in temperate islands and humid rainforests. It is exclusive to the Deserted Island and Flooded Forest. It does however appear to show no preference regarding the salinity of the water; this may hint towards a very adaptable creature. Ecological Niche The Royal Ludroth is at the middle of the food chain. In a pack, a Royal Ludroth is a formidable predator. Without a pack, Royal Ludroth can still live without worry, but it has to be cautious about larger, more fearsome carnivores, especially Lagiacrus and it's Subspecies, with which it shares both the Deserted Island and Flooded Forest habitats with, and Gobul, its main competition in the Flooded Forest. They are omnivores feeding on Fish, Epioth, Kelbi and algae. They may also eat young male Jaggi or Wroggi which explains their hostility towards Royal Ludroth. However, Royal Ludroth that wander too far inland can fall prey to large predators such as Zinogre and Deviljho, that have an obvious advantage over the aquatic Leviathan on land. Biological Adaptations Like Great Jaggi, the males of the Ludroth species increase in size and develop physical changes that set them apart from younger males and the opposite gender, in this case a large, spongy mane. This mane sucks water like a sponge, allowing the Royal Ludroth to survive out of water for some time. However, when weakened, it must go back to its watery domain to replenish oxygen. It is possible that Royal Ludroth do have lungs, & can breath air on land as well as absorb oxygen from the water, but, like amphibians, need to keep their skin wet, therefore restricting the amount of time they can stay on land, & making them waterbound as a result. Fully grown males can blast frothy water-like mucus at foes. Young male Ludroth (whose manes are still developing) are bigger than adult female Ludroth. Like their female counterparts, the hind legs of a Royal Ludroth are small & toeless, much like small flippers. If anything, a Royal Ludroth's hind limbs are quite strong, enabling them to run at high speed over a short distance. They probably do not give them the ability to leap on land, rather it is due to the flexibility of their body that enables them to do that. However, with help of their tails, they might make them more stable & have a firmer grip when they do launch into the air, or when they occasionally rear up on their hind legs. The teeth of this monster are unlike those of other monsters. Instead of being fangs, tusks, conical points, or irregular projections, the teeth of a Royal Ludroth consist of a small number of large plates with sharpened edges, very similar to those of parrot fish and the prehistoric placoderm, Dunkleosteus. This enables the Royal Ludroth to eat hard armored prey such as turtles, armored fish, and shellfish. During the breeding season Royal Ludroth will mate with the females in its harem and guard them from potential rivals. After mating the Royal Ludroth will fearlessly guard its territory and will soak up water with their spongy manes and hydrate the females while they guard their nests in caves. Behavior As stated above, Royal Ludroth exhibit a curious amount of sexual dimorphism (similar to other monsters such as the Jaggi), Female Ludroth find and form "harems" with Royal Ludroth at the center. These harems can grow to huge sizes all associated with a single Royal Ludroth. Royal Ludroth command total dominance over the smaller Ludroth and it is rare to find conflict among a harem. Because of this, Royal Ludroth are capable of utilizing their harems much as other large monsters with smaller pack-mates utilize theirs. This creates a complex pack structure, rarely seen outside of Fanged Beasts and Bird Wyverns. Females within the pack structure act as hunters, gathering food to bring to the nest and caregivers, who remain and tend egg clutches within their nest burrows. The Royal Ludroth, meanwhile acts as both the guardian to the nest and the guardian to it's territory, Fighting off potential predators and rivals. Royal Ludroth also utilize Ludroth while hunting or fighting, calling Ludroth to it's aid and working as a team to bring down or fight off much larger or deadlier predators such as Gobul and Lagiacrus. While the Royal Ludroth acts as a guardian for both the smaller Ludroth and their eggs, Ludroth will fight any potential threat to the pack--and by extention the Royal Ludroth itself--to the death. This intense level of loyalty continues for some time after the death of the harem's Royal Ludroth, with many a hunter having to put down the entire immediate harem before they can approach the corpse of the monster to carve it. Those that survive drift apart and search for another Royal Ludroth and a harem to join. How Ludroth and Royal Ludroth mate is unknown, given the extreme size discrepancy between the male and female of the species, and the fact that a Royal Ludroth would easily crush a female while mating on land as it has never been observed in the wild. One theory is that the Ludroth reproduce by means of external fertilization similar to fish and frogs. This would be somewhat unusual, however, given that Ludroth eggs appear to be laid in nests on dry land. Another, more widely accepted theory is that Ludroth and Royal Ludroth mate underwater, where the size and weight differences are offset by the support the water provides, with the fertilized female heading to shore, digging a nest and laying her clutch. Category:Monster Ecology Category:Leviathan Ecology